Energy Center

More research needed to make good on biofuel promise--Purdue News

October 29, 2008

While cellulosic biofuels derived from grasses, crop residues and inedible plant parts have real potential to be more efficient and environmentally friendly than grain-based biofuels like corn ethanol, more research and science-based policies are needed to reap these benefits, says an international group of experts.

In an article published Friday (Oct. 3) in the journal Science, Purdue University agricultural economist Otto Doering and a team of 22 other scientists write that there is an urgent need for more comprehensive and collaborative research. This will help next-generation fuels avoid the pitfalls of grain-based biofuels, which include increased nutrient runoff and clearing of new land to recoup lost food production, Doering said.